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Parent report card proposal stirs debate

There's a movement afoot for teachers to start issuing report
cards... on parents! How would you feel about being graded by your
child's teacher? One Florida state lawmaker is proposing just that.
NBC Education Correspondent Rehema Ellis reported the story for TODAY,
and it got her thinking about her own parental participation.

NBC News Correspondent Rehema Ellis

By Rehema Ellis, NBC correspondent

As I researched this story, it made me think about my own family. I asked myself, would I mind being graded as a parent?

All
my son's life -- he's 8 years old now and in the second grade -- I've
embraced the notion that my school days are starting anew. Of course,
the big difference now is that I'm in the teacher/tutor role. I make him breakfast every morning and sit down with him.I read all the school notices and frequently communicate with his teachers and the school. There's
a big payoff: I know how he's doing in school and his report card has
never been a surprise. (And I should add, he's doing really well in
school.)

So, based on my involvement in my son's school life, I think I'd get a pretty good parent report card.Still, I got to thinking: What kind of grade would I get if I missed a few school notices or didn't check all of his homework?It could happen, because as we all know parenting isn't easy.Parents,
especially those who work outside of the home, have long days on the
job, often exhausting commutes, and frequent challenges to keep
the house in order AND keep an eye on what's happening in their child's
school.

Susan Rayburn,
the principal at Lincoln Elementary School in Plant City, Fla., told me
that grading could jump-start involvement from parents who are not
actively engaged in their child's education. But she also cautioned that
if not handled properly, the parent report card could be a turnoff.
Some parents could feel intimidated, she said. If the bill
passes in the Florida legislature, Rayburn said she hopes teachers use
the parent report card "as a tool for partnership versus a 'gotcha.' "

She makes a great point. After
all, the ultimate goal is to help children do better in school. If the
parent report card is used, as she says, to "showcase what parents are
doing and then help bridge that gap for what they are not doing,"
everyone's grades would improve ... kids AND parents.

From what I've observed among the public school teachers in my life, lack of parental involvement, and in some cases the parents actually undermining the teacher, is a huge issue. It's like many parents think that it's just up to the teachers and they have no role in their child's education.

Maybe if the parents became more involved with there children's homework and studies and stopped thinking it is only the teacher's job to teach there children it wouldn't come to this. I know so many parents who think it is only the teachers job to teach the students. I think that is BS. The teacher provides the info to the kids and then the parents should help them learn it at home too. It has been proven that if you help your children more at home they tend to do well in school.

I dont think its a terrible idea but I would LOVE an opportunity to grade teachers.

How far you go in life depends on your being: tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of both the weak and strong. Because someday in life you would have been one or all of these.GeorgeWashingtonCarver

I don't work for teachers. They work for me (and the rest of the parents and kids they serve).

I'm very involved in my children's educations, never miss a conference, volunteer, and always available.....but its not their job to grade me.

I never worked for you.

Just because a teacher educates some of our country's youth and 'serves' (I'm using this loosely) the community doesn't mean that s/he is employed by the parents. If I truly felt that I was employed by people who feel they are entitled to my services via tax dollars, I might quit and find a more humble, grateful employer.

I don't work for teachers. They work for me (and the rest of the parents and kids they serve).

I'm very involved in my children's educations, never miss a conference, volunteer, and always available.....but its not their job to grade me.

I never worked for you.

Just because a teacher educates some of our country's youth and 'serves' (I'm using this loosely) the community doesn't mean that s/he is employed by the parents. If I truly felt that I was employed by people who feel they are entitled to my services via tax dollars, I might quit and find a more humble, grateful employer.

If you were paid using property taxes, you worked for every taxpayer. Public employees work for the public.

And you chose your profession, I didn't. You're certainly free to find a new employer....like any employee. If you were to work for a private school, you'd still work for the parents.

I don't work for teachers. They work for me (and the rest of the parents and kids they serve).

I'm very involved in my children's educations, never miss a conference, volunteer, and always available.....but its not their job to grade me.

I never worked for you.

Just because a teacher educates some of our country's youth and 'serves' (I'm using this loosely) the community doesn't mean that s/he is employed by the parents. If I truly felt that I was employed by people who feel they are entitled to my services via tax dollars, I might quit and find a more humble, grateful employer.

If you were paid using property taxes, you worked for every taxpayer. Public employees work for the public.

And you chose your profession, I didn't. You're certainly free to find a new employer....like any employee. If you were to work for a private school, you'd still work for the parents.

Your response here and in a few other threads are often smug and uppity. I find it sad that you feel your opinion carries merit.

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